Leni Zumas's writing crackles. Her books are sharp, bleak, funny, and possibly dangerous. When her collection of short stories, Farewell Navigator,...
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Oddly absent from most "Best of..." lists, Philip Roth's imaginative alternate history works both as a fascinating political statement on the fragility of government (and the whimsy of its electorate), as well as a compelling family drama.
To borrow a term from the lexicon of the music critics, The Plot Against America could be called a rare "experimental" novel by Philip Roth; though it loses none of the potency fans have come to expect from one of the greatest novelists of the 20th, er, 21st Century.
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Okay, I first read Dorian Gray when I was in high school, and I liked it. But, now I just turned 42 years old, and I have re-read The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it may well be the scariest book I've ever read. This book is a must read for anyone who has just entered middle-age. Because, to paraphrase Dorian, "It's hard to tell which is more frightening, the signs of sin or the signs of age."
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(9 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
You will have already read deep into Natsuo Kirino’s potent new novel REAL WORLD when you meet Terauchi. As one of four young women on the eve of their adult lives, as grown-ups, with responsibilities and burdens, Terauchi is the more intellectual and philosophical of the four, but no more mature, or prepared for the awesome changes that will engulf their final Summer together.
REAL WORLD is written in a 1st person narrative, with each of the main characters having their own chapter (or two) in which to tell their story.
In Terauchi’s chapter, Chapter 6, she expounds upon her constant desire to tell people this, "There really are things that are irreparable". She explains in a somewhat muddled, but no less compelling manner as to what this means, and why she sometimes finds herself so consumed by the thought, and unable to hold it in any longer, she just blurts it out for no good reason.
"Something that's really irreparable is more like this: a horribly frightening feeling that keeps building up inside until your heart is devoured. People who carry around the burden of something that can't be undone will one day be destroyed."
"There really are things that are irreparable", at first reading will strike many as an interesting diversion away from the more compelling aspects of the story, namely matricide. But, ultimately Terauchi’s philosophizing will come to be a very poignant mantra, and coda.
Terauchi states that she could never just blurt out such a thing to Yuzan or Kirarin. In a brilliant passage, Terauchi describes the vacant nature of her two less than intellectually curious friends:
"It’d be like a lighthouse, where the spotlight rotates and, for an instant, illuminates something. But, once the light moves on, everything melts back into the dark."
REAL WORLD is a hypnotic thriller that carries you dreamily along, carelessly dropping in and out of the minds of these five sympathetic and challenging characters. There’s an inescapable fatalism to the structure of the novel, as we are forced to sit with each character within the chapter, and as you near the end of the book, a gnawing anxiousness seeps in, as you begin to worry about whether this story will have a satisfying climax, and how will Ms. Natsuo do it. Will there be closure? Who will have the last word?
There is closure, and there is a very satisfying climax
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(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
The book is surprisingly good. Eric Lax has conducted interviews with Mr. Allen since 1971, and thereby spanning almost an entire career in the life of one filmmaker. The book covers Woody Allen as he makes the daring leap from the stage to the silver screen as a writer desperately longing to be a director and literally learning on-the-job with TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN (1969) and BANANAS (1971), both films Allen admits are nothing more than a series of jokes strung together.
But, what makes “Conversations with Woody Allen” so compelling, especially to Woody Allen Worshipers (like myself) and writers in general, is the work ethic and the work process by which Allen is able to propel his career from a joke-a-minute movie-maker to one of the most revered filmmakers in the world. The book is full of fascinating insights into each and every film Allen has made, and as a filmmaker who has continually refused to enhance the DVD releases of his films with “Special Features” like commentary or behind the scenes; this book is the written equivalent of “Special Features”.
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(6 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
To Howard Hampton's credit, he makes no bones about paying dues to the great rock critic Lester Bangs, of whom he clearly idolizes (please read Lester Bangs' brilliant PSYCHOTIC REACTIONS AND CARBUREATOR DUNG). Lester Bangs' influence is smeared all over Mr. Hampton's prose, and Mr. Hampton more than holds his own. Howard Hampton, like Lester Bangs, has a knack for mixing just the right amount of name-dropping, pop culture references, skepticism, and passion, to give the reader the shove he/she needs to search out the great art that lies just beneath the surface of trash that covers the cultural land fill of America.
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(5 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
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Gary Wood has commented on (7) products.
The Plot against America: A Novel by Philip Roth
Gary Wood, January 1, 2010
Oddly absent from most "Best of..." lists, Philip Roth's imaginative alternate history works both as a fascinating political statement on the fragility of government (and the whimsy of its electorate), as well as a compelling family drama.To borrow a term from the lexicon of the music critics, The Plot Against America could be called a rare "experimental" novel by Philip Roth; though it loses none of the potency fans have come to expect from one of the greatest novelists of the 20th, er, 21st Century.
(0 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oneworld Classics) by Oscar Wilde
Gary Wood, October 24, 2008
Okay, I first read Dorian Gray when I was in high school, and I liked it. But, now I just turned 42 years old, and I have re-read The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it may well be the scariest book I've ever read. This book is a must read for anyone who has just entered middle-age. Because, to paraphrase Dorian, "It's hard to tell which is more frightening, the signs of sin or the signs of age."(9 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
Real World by Natsuo Kirino
Gary Wood, August 23, 2008
You will have already read deep into Natsuo Kirino’s potent new novel REAL WORLD when you meet Terauchi. As one of four young women on the eve of their adult lives, as grown-ups, with responsibilities and burdens, Terauchi is the more intellectual and philosophical of the four, but no more mature, or prepared for the awesome changes that will engulf their final Summer together.REAL WORLD is written in a 1st person narrative, with each of the main characters having their own chapter (or two) in which to tell their story.
In Terauchi’s chapter, Chapter 6, she expounds upon her constant desire to tell people this, "There really are things that are irreparable". She explains in a somewhat muddled, but no less compelling manner as to what this means, and why she sometimes finds herself so consumed by the thought, and unable to hold it in any longer, she just blurts it out for no good reason.
"Something that's really irreparable is more like this: a horribly frightening feeling that keeps building up inside until your heart is devoured. People who carry around the burden of something that can't be undone will one day be destroyed."
"There really are things that are irreparable", at first reading will strike many as an interesting diversion away from the more compelling aspects of the story, namely matricide. But, ultimately Terauchi’s philosophizing will come to be a very poignant mantra, and coda.
Terauchi states that she could never just blurt out such a thing to Yuzan or Kirarin. In a brilliant passage, Terauchi describes the vacant nature of her two less than intellectually curious friends:
"It’d be like a lighthouse, where the spotlight rotates and, for an instant, illuminates something. But, once the light moves on, everything melts back into the dark."
REAL WORLD is a hypnotic thriller that carries you dreamily along, carelessly dropping in and out of the minds of these five sympathetic and challenging characters. There’s an inescapable fatalism to the structure of the novel, as we are forced to sit with each character within the chapter, and as you near the end of the book, a gnawing anxiousness seeps in, as you begin to worry about whether this story will have a satisfying climax, and how will Ms. Natsuo do it. Will there be closure? Who will have the last word?
There is closure, and there is a very satisfying climax
(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
Conversations with Woody Allen: His Films, the Movies, and Moviemaking by Eric Lax
Gary Wood, January 18, 2008
The book is surprisingly good. Eric Lax has conducted interviews with Mr. Allen since 1971, and thereby spanning almost an entire career in the life of one filmmaker. The book covers Woody Allen as he makes the daring leap from the stage to the silver screen as a writer desperately longing to be a director and literally learning on-the-job with TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN (1969) and BANANAS (1971), both films Allen admits are nothing more than a series of jokes strung together.But, what makes “Conversations with Woody Allen” so compelling, especially to Woody Allen Worshipers (like myself) and writers in general, is the work ethic and the work process by which Allen is able to propel his career from a joke-a-minute movie-maker to one of the most revered filmmakers in the world. The book is full of fascinating insights into each and every film Allen has made, and as a filmmaker who has continually refused to enhance the DVD releases of his films with “Special Features” like commentary or behind the scenes; this book is the written equivalent of “Special Features”.
(6 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Born in Flames: Termite Dreams, Dialectical Fairy Tales, and Pop Apocalypses by Howard Hampton
Gary Wood, May 21, 2007
To Howard Hampton's credit, he makes no bones about paying dues to the great rock critic Lester Bangs, of whom he clearly idolizes (please read Lester Bangs' brilliant PSYCHOTIC REACTIONS AND CARBUREATOR DUNG). Lester Bangs' influence is smeared all over Mr. Hampton's prose, and Mr. Hampton more than holds his own. Howard Hampton, like Lester Bangs, has a knack for mixing just the right amount of name-dropping, pop culture references, skepticism, and passion, to give the reader the shove he/she needs to search out the great art that lies just beneath the surface of trash that covers the cultural land fill of America.
(5 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
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